Sakhalin Island. Essays. Travel Notes

In 1890, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, in a surge of civic feeling and wanting to break free from a monotonous life, went to Sakhalin, where convicts were exiled at that time. As a result of a three-month journey, a book of the same name was published, which included notes on the weather, flora, fauna, and legends of the island, as well as a uncompromising description of the horrific life of prisoners. The book created such a significant resonance in society that the Main Prison Administration and the Ministry of Justice sent a special commission to Sakhalin, which confirmed the truth of the writer's words and initiated reforms in the field of exile and hard labor in the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century. This edition also includes essays from Siberia and stories touching on criminal and judicial themes.